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TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRtET 

WSBSTER.N.Y.  14SM 

(716)  •72-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  mic/oreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographeques 


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D 
D 


D 


D 


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\/ 


Pages  damaged/ 
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I — ~|    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
I  V  I    Pages  ddcolordes,  tachet^es  ou  piqu^es 

D 


E 

n 

D 
D 
D 


Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tach^es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

i 
1 

y 

12X 

1SX 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

tails 

du 
}difier 

une 
Tiage 


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The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
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Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
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beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  filmd  f ut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


Las  images  suivantes  ont  M  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  Texemplaire  fiimd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimto  sont  film6s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  secotid 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  auttos  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  I'angle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


irrata 
to 


pelure, 
in  d 


n 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

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The  World's  Columbian  Water  Commerce  Congress 

Chicago,  1893 


CANADIAN  WATER  WAYS 


Creat  Lakes  to  the  Atlantic 


/ 


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THOS.  C.  KEEPER,  C.M.G.,  F.R.S.C. 

PAST  PRESIDENT  AMERICAN  SOCIETY  CIVIL  ENGINEERS;  PAST  PRESI- 
DENT CANADIAN  SOCIETY  CIVIL  ENGINEERS;  MEMBER 
INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS.  LONDON. 


BOSTON 
DAMRELL    &    UPHAM 

Ub*  mb  Corner  JSootetore 
383  Washington  StrM« 


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The  World's  Columbian  Water  Commerce  Congress 

Chicago,  1893 


CANADIAN  WATER  WAYS 


FROM    THE 


Creat  Lakes  to  the  Atlantic 


BT 


THOS.  C.  KEEPER,  C.M.G.,  F.R.S.C. 

PAST  PRESIDENT  AMERICAN  SOCIETY  CIVIL  ENGINEERS;  PAST  PRESI- 

DENT  CANADIAN  SOCIETY  CIVIL  ENGINEERS;  MEMBER 

INSTITUTION  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS.  LONDON. 

Ottawa,  Canada, 


BOSTON 

DAMRELL    &    UPHAM 
Ub<  ®16  Corner  ISoototore 

383  Washington  StrM* 


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CANADIAN  WATER  WAYS  FROM  THE  GREAT 
LAKES  TO  THE  ATLANTIC. 


I  have  been  requested  to  contribute  to  the  World's  Water 
Commerce  Congress  a  brief  communication  upon  "  New 
and  Enlarged  Water  Ways  Required  to  Meet  the  Wants 
of  Canadian  Commerce,"  with  special  reference  to  a 
"Proposed  Enlargement  of  the  Welland  Canal  and 
Improvement  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River." 

The  second  enlargement  of  the  Welland  Canal  was  only 
completed   about   five    years   ago,    and   that   of   the    St. 
Lawrence  Canals  is  so  far  advanced  that  its  completion  is 
expected  in  about  two  years.     It  can  hardly  be  said,  there- 
fore, that  the  demands  of  Canadian    Commerce  call   for 
"new  and  enlarged  water  ways,"  at  least  until  completion 
and  trial  of  these  unfinished  works.     It  is  true  that  these 
canals  are  not   large  enough  for  the  best  craft  upon  the 
Upper  Lakes,  and  doubtless  Canadian  Commerce  would  be 
benefited  if  they  were  larger ;  but  it  is  yet  to  be  shown  that 
their  present  size  is  insufficient  for  the  object  for  which 
they  have  been  constructed. 

The  Government  Commission,  which  fixed  the  dimen- 
sions for  the  enlarged  locks  for  the  Canadian  Canals  in 
187. ,  consulted  the  Boards  of  Trade  of  Oswego,  Toledo, 
Detroit,  Milwaukee,  and  Chicago,  with  the  following 
result : — 

Oswego  recommended  the  length  to  be  250  ft.,  width,  45  ft.,  depth,  14  ft. 
Toledo  '«  ♦«         " 

Detroit  •'  «'        «« 

Milwaukee     "  ••        '• 

Chicago         "  ••        •• 


215  " 

tt 

45  " 

f250    " 

\  to      " 

t  ( 

(45  " 
■  to  " 

i( 

15 
to 

(275 " 

( ( 

55  " 

II 

16 

300  " 

4( 

50  " 

1 1 

15 

■2';o  " 
•    to     " 

t  1 

I  i 

(  35  " 
■   to  " 

I  45  " 

1 1 
11 

14 

(300  " 

a 

II 

Canada  took  her  average  from  Chicago,  and  chose  270 
feet  X  45  feet  x  14  feet.  This  is  the  less  surprising  now, 
when  it  is  remembered  that  all  the  above  eminent  United 
States  authorities  were,  in  the  language  of  the  Exchange, 
"  short"  on  the  lock  question  in  187 1. 

As  to  new  Canadian  water  ways,  the  only  proposed 
ones  which  have  been  regarded  as  of  general  importance, 
are  a  canal  irom  Lake  Huron  to  tide  water  .it  Montreal  by 
the  valleys  of  the  French  and  Ottawa  Rivens,  and  another 
(almost  a  continuation  of  the  above)  from  the  St.  Lawrence 
above  Montreal  to  Lake  Champlain.  Neither  of  these 
are  at  present  called  for  by  the  demands  of  Canadian  Com- 
merce. An  Ottawa  route  to  the  Upper  Lakes  would  not 
serve  the  more  important  Canadian  interestsi  upon  the 
route  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Welland,  nor  would  if- 
reach  anything  upon  those  Lakes  which  is  not  equally  open 
to  the  Welland  route  upon  a  larger,  and  therefore  more 
economical  scale.  The  connection  between  the  Upper  St. 
Lawrence  and  Lake  Champlain  would  not  serve  any 
important  Canadian  interest  until  the  water  route  was 
extended  to  the  Hudson  River  upon  the  same  scale.  Sucii 
a  canal  must  therefore  form  part  of  an  International  System. 

The  "new  and  enlarged  Canadian  ^vater  ways,"  and 
*'St.  Lawrence  River  improvement,"  referred  to  in  the 
programme,  are,  therefore,  I  suppose,  those  required  with 
special  reference  to  the  enlarged  scale  for  lake  navigation, 
decided  upon  by  the  United  States  Government,  and  to 
the  Northwestern  demand  for  an  extension  of  this  scale  to 
the  Atlantic,  either  by  the  St.  Lawrence  or  the  Erie  Canal. 
The  St.  Lawrence  will  undoubtedly  give  the  shortest, 
quickest,  and  cheapest  route  between  the  Atlantic  and  the 
Upper  Lakes,  while  the  Erie  Canal  route  will  reach  by 
the  shortest  line  the  great  domestic  markets  near  the 
Hudson.  A  St.  Lawrence  route  to  reach  these  markets 
via  Lake  Champlain,  may,  however,  prove  to  be  attainable 
at  k-ss  cost  in  construction  and  in  working  than  the  other 
non-international  one. 


jposed 

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shortest, 
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reach  by 
near   the 
markets 
attainable 
the  other 


THE    ST.   LAWRJ{;NCE    ROUTE. 

The  above  heading  covers  the  whole  Canadian  watei 
route  from  Lake  Superior  to  the  sea,  and  includes  the  St, 
Lawrence  canals  between  tide  water  and  Lake  Ontario, 
the  Welland  Canal  between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  and 
the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  Canal  between  Lakes  Huron  and 
Superior. 

Prior  to  the  construction  of  the  Erie  and  Champlain 
Canals,  Vermont  and  Northern  New  York  were  wholly  de- 
pendent upon  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  large  quantities  of 
wheat  and  flour  were  exported  to  the  West  Lidies  and  else- 
where in  the  closing  years  of  the  last,  and  the  early  ones 
of  the  present  century.  Small  cut-stone  locks  were  built 
before  1785  at  necessary  points  on  the  St.  Lawrence  for  the 
passage  of  the  batteau, —  a  flat-bottomed  skiiT  about  the  di- 
mensions of  the  Venetian  Gondola.  These  were  enlarged 
in  1804  to  pass  American  barges,  known  as  "Durham 
Boats,"  having  a  capacity  of  350  barrels  of  flour — ten  times 
that  of  the  batteau. 

In  1798  a  Canadian  fur  company  of  Montreal  con3tructed 
a  wooden  lock  for  the  passage  of  batteaux  at  Sault  Ste. 
Marie. 

Although  a  boat  canal  with  masonry  locks  was  opened 
in  1825  from  Montreal  to  Lachine,  the  line  of  St.  Lawrence 
Canals  was  not  completed  until  1848,  notwithstanding  that 
the  Welland  Canal  had  been  in  operation  since  1829.  This 
was  because  the  Militaiy  Canals  on  the  Ottawa  and  Rideau 
routes  connected  the  Lachhie  Canal  with  Lake  Ontario. 

In  1848,  therefore,  Lake  Erie  was  for  the  flrst  time 
opened  to  the  sea  for  masted  vessels  ;  and  in  1849  a  Cleve- 
land schooner  sailed  down  the  St.  Lawrence  and  around 
Cape  Horn  to  San  Francisco. 

The  canals  between  Lake  Erie  and  Montreal  are  upon 
the  uniform  dimensions  of  270  feet  length  between  the  gates, 
45  feet  width  between  the  walls,  and  14  feet  depth  on  the 
miter  sills.  The  single  lock  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  to  be 
completed  next   year,  will  have  a  length  of  900  feet,  a 


t 


I 


t  > 

I  i 


breadth  of  60  feet,  and  a  depth  of  19  feet  at  extreme  low 
water  on  the  miter  sill.  The  length  lockage  and  position 
of  the  several  canals  are  as  follows  : — 

From  Montreal  to  the  head  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals 
(which  is  ahout  8  miles  below  Ogdensburgh),  the  distance 
is  iiijj  miles,  of  which  433  miles  are  canal,  48  miles  lake, 
and  20  miles  river.  Commencing  at  Montreal,  the  distri- 
bution and  the  names  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals  are  as 
follows : — 


i 

i 

(A 

1 

J! 

istance 
etween 
Miles. 

0 

a 

>-) 

>A 

O-c" 

Lachine, 

8i  miles. 

5. 

45  feet, thence  to  Beauharnois  Canal 
(Lake  St.  Louis) 

i5i 

Beauharnois, 

iii  miles, 

9. 

824  feet, thence  to  Cornwall  (Lake 
St.  Francis) 

323 

Cornwall, 

iii  miles, 

6, 

48   feet,  thence   to    Farren's    Point 

(River) 

5 

Farren's  Point 

5  miles. 

I, 

4feet, thence  to  Rapide  Plat  (River) 

loi 

Rapide  Plat, 

4  miles. 

iii  feet, thence  to  Galops  (River) 

4i 

Galops, 

7I  miles. 

3' 

I5i  feet. 

Total, 


43I 


26  2o6i 


68 


The  Soulanges  Canal,  now  being  substituted  for  the 
Beauharnois,  will  have  the  same  lockage  (with  5  locks  in- 
stead of  9),  but  nearly  3  miles  greater  length,  the  Lake  dis- 
tance being  decreased  to  this  extent. 

From  the  head  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals  to  the  foot  of 
the  Welland  Canal  the  distance  is  226  miles,  of  which  160 
are  in  Lake  Ontario.  The  Welland,  is  26?  miles  long,  and 
as  now  enlarged  has  25  locks,  with  a  total  lockage  of  3264 
feet, — all  embraced  in  the  first  10  miles  from  Ontario. 

From  the  head  of  the  Welland  Canal  to  the  foot  of  the 
Canadian  Canal  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  the  distance  is  about 
600  miles.  The  length  of  the  Sault  Canal  upon  the  Cana- 
dian side  is  3,500  feet,  with  one  lock  of  18  feet  lift;  but 
the  under-water  excavation,  for  deepening  the  approaches 
to  the  19  feet  depth  at  extreme  low  water,  will  be  several 
times  the  length  of  the  visible  canal.  The  total  length  of 
canal  and  approaches  is  18,100  feet.  From  the  Sault  to 
Port  Arthur  is  266  miles,  and  to  Diiluth  390  miles.  The 
completion  of  the  Canadian  Canal  at  the  Sault,  will  there- 


0 

Point 

.^iver) 
ver) 


ted  for  the 

5  locks  in- 

e  Lake  dls- 


fore  extend  Canadian  inland  navigation,  from  the  ocean 
vessel  at  Montreal,  over  1,400  miles  of  fresh  water,  with 
loss  than  74  miles  of  canal ;  and  with  551  feet  of  lockage 
to  reach  Lake  Superior,  the  surface  of  which  is  about  600 
feet  above  tide. 

Although  Canada  is  only  now  constructing  a  canal  to 
reach  Lake  Superior,  this  completion  of  the  Canadian  sys- 
tem has  always  been  kept  in  view.  In  1846,  and  again  in 
1852  (before  the  canal  was  commence'  upon  the  Michigan 
side),  the  Province  of  Canada  made  surveys  and  estimates 
for  a  canal  at  the  Sault,  and  it  was  included  in  the  scheme 
of  the  Canal  Commission  appointed  by  the  Dominion  of 
Canada  about  25  years  later.  At  neither  of  these  dates 
was  there  any  Canadian  commerce  upon  Lake  Superior, 
and  this  is  the  strongest  evidence  that  the  Canadian  Canals 
looked  chiefly  to  the  Northwestern  States  of  the  Union  for 
their  support.  This  is  also  confirmed  by  the  history  of  the 
Welland  Canal,  which  was  first  built  by  a  joint  stock  com- 
pany, having  its  principal  shareholders  in  New  York  and 
England,  as  also  by  the  fact  that  the  Canal  Commission  of 
1870  were  instructed  to  advise  "  the  best  means  to  attract  a 
large  and  increasing  share  of  the  trade  of  the  Northwestern 
portion  of  North  America  through  Canadian  waters,  such 
as  will  enable  Canada  to  compete  successfully  for  the 
transit  trade  of  the  great  Western  country." 

The  locks  of  the  Canadian  canals,  with  the  exception  of 
those  now  under  construction  at  the  Sault,  and  the  Soul- 
anges  Canal,  have  moderate  lifts,  and  are  repetitions  of  the 
simple  and  economical  features  of  the  original  Welland 
Canal.  The  lock  floors  are  of  wood,  and  their  upper  gates 
of  the  same  height  as  their  lower  ones,  the  filling  and 
emptying  being  through  valves  in  these  gates. 

The  Soulanges  Canal,  as  well  as  that  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie, 
are  new  departures.     The  chambers  are  filled  and  emptied 
by  culverts  in  the  side  walls  or  floor,  which,  in  the  first,  is  of 
masonry,  and  the  upper  gates  rest  upon  curved  breast  walls. 
Electric  motors  driven  by  water-power  current  will  work 


8 


P 


gates,  automatic  sluices  at  weirs,  as  well  as  swing  bridges 
opening  the  full  width  of  the  channel  without  the  usual 
central  pivot  pier.  Portland  cement  concrete  will  generally 
be  substituted  for  masonry  in  the  Soulanges  works. 

As  part  of  the  "Improvement  of  the  River  St.  Ivawrence," 
the  submarine  work  below  Montreal  should  not  be  (  er- 
looked.  These  are  submerged  canals  larger  in  width  aid 
greater  in  length  than  those  upon  the  river  above.  After 
about  40  years'  work,  up  to  the  time  of  the  completion  in 
1888,  the  depth  for  sea-going  vessels  at  low  water  has  been 
increased  from  11  to  27^  feet,  at  a  total  cost  of  about 
$4,000,000,  of  which  $500,000  was   for  dredging    plant. 

The  total  length  of  channel  deepened  is  about  50  miles, 
of  which  about  18  are  in  Lake  St.  Peter.  There  is  a 
continuous  cutting  of  about  16  miles  in  the  bottom  of  the 
lake,  300  feet  wide,  and  ranging  from  15  to  17  feet  in 
depth.  The  total  quantity  dredged  is  about  20,000,000 
cubic  yards.  This  would  show  an  average  cost  of  20  cents 
per  cubic  3^ard  ;  but  the  average  for  the  great  bulk  or  three- 
fourths  of  the  quantity  was  about  i6i  cents  per  yard, 
including  an  allowance  of  i^'^,  cents  per  yard  for  deprecia- 
tion of  plant.  For  Lake  St.  Peter  alone  tin;  cost  has  been 
reduced  (by  improvement  and  enlargement  of  the  dredging 
plant)  from  11^  cents  per  yard  in  1875,  when  dredging  for 
22-foot  channel,  to  2.91  cents  in  1888  for  the  27.i-fo()t 
channel ;  the  average  for  the  whole  of  the  dredging  in 
Lake  St.  Peter  being  4-98  cents  per  cubic  yard.  The  cost 
of  deep-water  dredging  in  1889,  in  shale  rock,  hard  pan 
and  bowlders,  ranged  from  35  to  40  cents  per  cubic  yard, 
or  13  times  the  latest  cost  for  the  same  depth  in  the  silt 
formation  of  Lake  St.  Peter. 


THE    CHAMPLAIN    AND    ST.   LAWRENCE    CANAL. 

The  Richelieu  River  (the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain)  is, 
at  St.  Johns,  25  feet  higher  than  the  St.  Lawrence  at 
Caughnawaga,  foot  of  Lake  St.  Louis,  and  about  25  miles 
distant  upon  a  straight  line.     If  Lake  Champlain  be  made 


the  feeder,  a  canal  32^  miles  long  would  be  required  to 
avoid  high  ground  upon  tlie  direct  route.  To  surmount 
this  high  ground,  and  take  shortest  route  lor  the  canal, 
would  call  for  a  feeder  38  feet  higher  than  Lake  Champiain 
and  16.^  miles  in  length,  and  would  treble  the  lockage. 
The  direct  route  would  give  100  feet  lockage  upon  a  25 
mile  canal,  against  25  feet  lockage  on  a  canal  about  8  miles 
longer.  It  has  been  proposed  to  take  this  feeder  from  the 
J3eauharnois  Canal  and  to  make  it  the  canal  for  Western 
traffic,  connecting  it  with  Caughnawaga  by  a  branch  about 
4  miles  long.  This  would  give  for  the  Western  trade  38 
miles  of  canal  with  37^  feet  of  lockage,  against  28  miles 
of  canal  with  137  feet  of  lockage  on  the  Caughnawaga 
route,  because  the  feeder  would  start  out  from  the  Beau- 
harnois  canal  6;^  feet  higher  than  Lake  St.  Louis,  and  at  a 
point  3  miles  from  that  lake.  This  3  miles  of  the  Beauhar- 
nois  canal  is,  therefore,  added  to  the  25  miles  of  the  direct 
Caughnawaga  route. 

This  route  would  make  the  St.  Lawrence  the  feeder, 
giving  the  minimum  lockage,  as  well  as  distance,  for  the 
most  important  traffic,  the  Western  trade.  The  ground 
upon  this  route  is  favorable,  for  two  thirds  of  its  length,  for 
a  canal  of  200  feet  or  more  in  width,  at  same  cost  as  for 
a  narrower  one. 

If  Lake  Superior  were  brought  into  connection  with 
Lake  Champiain,  for  large  lake  craft.  New  England  and 
Northern  New  York  would  be  reached,  and  Boston  thereby 
obtain  an  advantage  which  might  induce  New  York  to 
extend  such  a  navigation  to  the  Hudson  River.  As  such  a 
canal  would  be  of  more  importance  to  the  Western  States 
and  New  England  than  to  Canada,  it  must  await  their 
action.  The  interest  of  the  Ottawa  lumber  trade  in  this 
route  has  been  considerably  diminished  in  the  last  20  years, 
by  the  annually  increasing  quantity  of  lumber  which  now 
takes  the  rail  from  the  mill  in  Canada  to  the  yard  in  the 
United  States,  in  preference  to  the  water  route. 

Lake  Champiain  between  Rouse's  Point  and  Whitehall 


lO 


is  called  120  miles.  St.  Johns  on  the  Richelieu  River 
(where  the  Chambly  Canal  begins)  is  24  miles  rive;r  navi- 
gation from  Rouse's  Point.  From  Whitehall  about  66 
miles  of  canal  reaches  the  Hudson  River,  and  from  St. 
Johns  38^  miles  of  canal  would  reach  the  St.  Lawrence 
(about  105  miles  of  canal  between  the  Hudson  and  St. 
Lawrence)  ;  and  between  the  points  of  junction  on  the 
Beauharnois  Canal  and  Lake  Erie  about  60  miles  more  of 
canal. 

The  distance  from  Lake  Erie  to  New  York  via  Lake 
Champlain  would  be  about  216  miles  longer  than  that  by 
the  Erie  Canal.  If  the  canal  from  Lake  Champlain  to  the 
Hudson  River  were  fed  from  this  lake  (as  the  only  suffi- 
cient source  of  supply),  the  lockage  would  be  nearly  equal 
upon  the  two  routes.  There  would  be  216  miles  more  dis- 
tance of  lake  and  river  navigation  on  the  one  route,  and 
190  miles  more  canal  on  the  other ;  but  as  the  first  would 
be  traveled  about  three  times  as  fast  as  the  second,  the  time 
of  traiisit  (which  is  'he  measure  of  the  cost)  would  be  in 
favor  of  the  longer  route. 

The  cost  of  construction  upon  the  two  routes  would  be 
largely  in  favor  of  the  longer  route.  These  comparisons 
are  based  upon  the  longer  route  for  a  canal  between  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Champlain,  to  be  fed  from  the 
former ;  and  not  upon  the  Caughnawaga  route,  fed  from 
Lake  Champlain,  in  v/hich  case  that  lake  might  be  called 
upon  to  (e&a.  three  canals. 

The  cost  of  these  routes  cannot  be  compared  without 
surveys  and  estimates  on  the  scale  aoopted  for  the  Lakes, 
and  especially  as  to  cost  of  ship  canal  between  Lake 
Champlain  and  the  Hudson  River. 


THE  OTTAWA  VALLEY  CANAL. 

T/ic  Ottawa  Route. — This  route  would  shorten  the  dis- 
tance between  Montreal  and  Lake  Superior  about  350 
miles,  and  therefore  has  been  advocated  for  a  ship  canal. 
Surveys  were  made  and  reports  given  in  1858  and  i860  on 


II 


a  basis  of  lo  feet  of  depth  of  navigation,  with  locks 
250  X  50  feet,  and  of  12  feet  with  locks  250  x  45.  The 
fn'st  estimate  was  $24,000,000,  and  the  second,  though  for 
deeper  water,  was  $12,000,000.  In  the  second,  there  were 
more  dams  proposed  and  less  canals, —  58  miles  of  canal 
lor  the  first,  and  29  miles  for  the  second. 

The  distance  from  Montreal  to  the  mouth  of  the  French 
River  in  the  Georgian  Bay,  Lake  Huron,  is  about  430 
miles,  of  which  308  are  in  the  Ottawa,  and  the  remainder 
in  the  Mattavva  and  French  Rivers.  About  180  miles 
would  be  wide-water  lake  navigation,  alternately  deep  and 
shoal,  and  250  miles  of  river.  The  summit  at  Lake 
Nipissing  is  640  feet  above  the  sea,  and  is  66  leet  higher 
than  Lake  Huron.  The  lockage  would  be  at  least  666 
feet,  against  533  feet  ria  Lake  Erie. 

The  Canadian  Canal  Commission  of  1870  postponed  the 
consideration  of  this  route,  on  the  ground  of  the  wide  dis- 
crepancy in  the  estimates,  which  were  made  on  the  basis 
of  10  and  12  feet.  Now  that  Parliament  has  adopted  14 
feet  for  the  St.  Lfiwrence,  and  the  United  States  20  feet  for 
the  Upper  Lakes,  a  revised  estimate  is  needed  and  a  fuller 
survey  to  determine  what  depth  of  navigation  is  practi- 
cable upon  this  route.  It  will  probably  be  found  that, 
upon  any  scale  of  navigation,  the  increased  lockage  and 
the  reduced  speed  necessary  upon  the  greater  portion  of 
this  route  would  fully  counterbalance  tlie  shorter  distance. 
Both  the  estimates  above  referred  to  were  based  upon  rais- 
ing the  summit  level,  which  is  Lake  Nipissing  ;  but  the 
subsequent  construction  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway 
and  the  present  existence  of  towns  and  vilhiges  (as  well  as 
the  railway)  on  lands  intended  to  have  been  flooded  by 
this  work,  make  this  raising  of  the  lake  now  out  of  the 
question. 

The  Ottawa  route  would  be  shortest  only  for  Lake 
Michigan,  Georgian  Bay,  and  Northern  Michigan  and 
Lake  Superior  ;  but  not  for  Lake  Erie  or  the  Detroit  River. 
The  receipts  and  shipments  at  lUiffalo,  including  Tona- 


12 


r$ 


wanda,  are  greater  than  of  any  other  lake  port.  Beside 
Buffalo,  there  are  Cleveland,  Ashtabula,  Sandusky,  To- 
ledo, and  Detroit,  the  aggregate  tonnage  of  which  is  greater 
than  either  Buffalo  or  Chicago.  These  the  Welland  route 
reaches  in  addition  to  all  which  an  Ottawa  route  would 
reach. 

THE    GRANGERS    CANAL. 

The  Northwestern  grain  trade — because  of  the  distance 
of  the  best  and  greatest  extent  of  wheat  lands  from  the 
ocean  where  market  value  is  established — calls  for  the 
largest  and  deepest,  in  order  that  it  may  be  the  cheapest 
practicable  water  way  between  Lake  Superior  and  the 
Atlantic  seaboard. 

For  such  a  canal  the  St.  Lawrence  route — of  which  the 
average  channel  depth  between  the  rapids  is  over  30  feet, 
with  ample  width — offers  advantages  to  be  found  upon  no 
other. 

From  Lake  Erie  there  would  be  about  75  miles  of  canal 
to  reach  the  ocean,  as  against  about  live  times  that  length 
of  artificial  channel  upon  the  New  York  State  route. 

To  reach  New  England  on  Lake  Champlain  there  would 
be  less  than  100  miles  of  canal,  against  400  miles  of  made 
channel  r/a  Buffalo,  Troy,  and  Whitehall. 

To  reach  New  York,  there  would  be  about  164  miles  of 
canal  against  more  than  double  that  length  of  artificial 
channel  by  the  Erie  Canal  route.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
total  length  of  the  water  route  v/a  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
Lake  Champlain  to  New  York,  would  be  about  216  miles 
longer  than  that  v/a  the  Erie  Canal. 

Montreal  is  the  only  city  upon  the  route  of  these  Ca- 
nadian canals.  There  is  not,  therefore,  on  this  route,  that 
growth  of  vested  interests  to  be  interfered  with  by  enlarge- 
ment, such  as  exists  upon  the  Erie  Canal  route.  The  banks 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  are  everywhere  low,  and,  therefore, 
favorable  for  canal  purposes,  and  there  are  the  two  shores 
which  may  be  occupied  throughout  for  an  international  sys- 
tem of  double  track  canals,  such  as  the  traffic  of  the  Upper 
Lakes  w  ill  soon  call  for. 


^3 


;.  Beside 
isky,  To- 
L  is  greater 
land  route 
>ute  would 


Ke  distance 
s  from  the 
ais  for   the 
be  cheapest 
3r   and   the 

f  which  the 
3ver  30  feet, 
ind  upon  no 

iles  of  canal 
5  that  length 
route. 

there  would 
iles  of  made 

164  miles  of 
1  of  artificial 
ler  hand,  the 
awrence  and 
(jut  216  miles 


The  Beauharnois  Can-al  on  the  south  shore — which  has 
nearly  double  the  lockage  of  any  of  the  other  St.  Lawrence 
canals — is  not  being  enlarged,  but  a  new  canal  is  under 
construction  on  the  north  shore  overcoming  the  same  rapids. 
When  this  latter — which  is  called  the  Soulanges  Canal — 
is  in  operation,  the  J:5eauharnois  route  will  be  freed  for 
future  enlargement,  which  may  then  be  carried  on  in  sum- 
mer as  well  as  in  winter,  upon  any  desired  scale. 

What  the  enlarged  St.  Lawrence  Canals  will  be  capable 
of  has  been  established  by  what  is  doing  at  the  Welland. 
On  this  canal  steamers  254  feet  long  by  42  feet  beam  carry 
1,825  tons  on  14  feet  draft  through  the  canal,  and  2,300 
tons  on  15  feet  draft  through  the  Lakes.  About  400  tons 
are  usually  lightered,  at  a  cost  of  80  cents  per  ton,  involv- 
ing a  detention  of  from  6  to  8  hours.  The  capacity  of  their 
lower  holds  is  70,000  bushels,  and  as  much  as  112,000 
Inishels  of  oats  have  been  carried  in  the  hold  and  between 
decks.  These  vessels  are  loaded  to  the  draft  in  the  St< 
Mary's,  Detroit,  and  St.  Clair  Rivers ;  and  as  those  are 
deepened,  their  draft  in  the  Lakes  and  their  lighterage  at 
the  Welland,  and  consequent  detention  tliere,  will  be  in- 
creased. The  American  craft  go  to  Oswego  and  Ogdens- 
burgh,  the  Canadian  to  Kingston,  although  they  could  also 
go  to  Ogdensburgh  if  coming  from  a  Canadian  port,  or  to 
Prescott,  opposite.  At  Kingston  and  Ogdensburgh  grain  is 
transsliipped  into  barges  for  Montreal,  the  lake  vessels  sel- 
dom descending  to  that  city.  While  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals 
have  only  had  9  feet  of  water,  the  second  Welland  had  more 
than  10,  and  lightering  there  had  also  been  generall}'  re- 
sorted to.  In  less  than  three  years  it  is  expected  that  the 
Welland  class  of  vessels  will  be  able  to  proceed  to  Mon- 
treal, and  the  important  question  now  is,  will  they  go  there? 
The  Canal  Commission  of  1870, — the  chairman  of  which 
(the  late  Sir  Hugh  Allan)  was  a  great  shipowner, — referring 
to  the  Ottawa  route,  said  that  it  "will  be  admirably  adapted 
for  a  barge  navigation  similar  to  that  which  now  obtains 
upon  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  and,  as  appears  by  evidence, 


14 


by  far  the  cheapest  means  of  transport."  The  Commission 
increased  the  length  of  the  old  St.  Lawrence  locks  30  per 
cent,  and  the  depth  of  water  in  them  33  per  cent,  but  they 
did  not  express  any  opinion  as  to  whether  barges  250  feet 
long  and  drawing  12  feet  of  water  would  be  employed,  or 
whether  the  Lake  vessel  would  descend  to  Montreal.  It  is 
the  opinion  of  some  engaged  in  this  transportation  th;it 
barges  not  exceeding  10  feet  draft,  or  50,000  bushels  ca- 
pacity, will  prove  to  be  the  most  convenient  and  profitable 
size. 

The  objection  to  a  barge  system  is,  that  it  is,  on  such  a 
route,  necessarily  a  monopoly.  The  Erie  Canal  has  a  tow- 
path,  and  individual  boat  owners  can  travel  on  it  as  a  high- 
way,— so  had  the  Welland  in  the  days  of  horse-power  tow- 
age,— but  the  Lake  and  ri\  or  navigation  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  Ottawa  and  Rideau  routes  require  tugboats. 
Such  a  monopoly  as  existed  upon  the  Military  Inland 
Route,  when  there  was  no  other,  and  no  railways,  can  only 
exist  upon  the  St.  Lawrence  as  long  as  it  is  tolerated  by 
the  Lake  vessels.  The  Upper  Lake  vessels  have  outgrown 
our  canals,  so  that  lighterage  is  necessary,  and  this  may  be 
increased  to  the  extent  of  half  the  cargo ;  and  then  it  will 
be  seen  whether  they  will  lighter  the  whole,  as  at  present, 
a  portion  only,  as  on  the  Welland,  or  none. 

In  connection  with  this  question  of  lighterage  or  trans- 
shipment, if  it  is  to  be  maintained,  the  grain  trade  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  will,  I  believe,  require  an  extensive  system 
of  elevators  at  Prescott,  Canada,  as  well  as  those  at  Og- 
densburgh,  opposite,  and  that  both  the  Grand  Trunk  and 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railways  should  be  coimected  witli 
them,  so  that  the  ocean  steamer  at  Montreal  may  not  be 
detained  or  sent  away  empty  in  the  event  of  any  interrup- 
tion by  frost  or  accident  to  the  navigation  in  the  canals. 

Montreal  has  an  exceptional  harbor,  in  that  its  wharves 
are  under  water  from  December  until  April, — the  result  of  a 
winter  rise  of  the  water  in  her  harbor  caused  by  the  pack- 
ing of  ice  below  the  city.     The  current  of  the  St.  Law- 


15 


rence  meets  the  tide  in  Lake  St.  Peter,  although  salt  water 
does  not  come  within  a  hundred  miles  ot"  it,  and  the  de- 
scending ice  is  first  checked  there.  It  then  backs  up  and 
accumulates  so  as  to  raise  the  harbor  from  lo  to  15  feet  above 
its  summer  level.  In  settling  into  its  winter  bed,  and  in 
arousing  from  it  in  the  spring,  the  ice  shoves  landward  with 
such  force  as  to  prevent  the  erection  of  warehouses  or  eleva- 
tors at  the  wharf  front.  Ocean  steamers  are  loaded  at  their 
berths  with  grain  afloat  in  the  harbor,  transferred  by  float- 
ing elevators  ;  and  it  is,  therefore,  contended  that  for  Mon- 
treal, and  for  so  long  as  the  present  system  continues, 
barges  as  floating  warehouses  are  the  most  economical. 

Extensive  harbor  improvements  are  now  in  progress,  in- 
cluding the  elevation  of  the  wharves  and  the  construction 
of  a  guard  wall  to  protect  them,  and  warehouses  upon  them 
— from  the  ice  shoves.  These  improvements  will  give  over 
4  miles  of  deep-water  wharfage,  nine  tenths  of  which  will 
be  25  to  27^  feet  deep,  and  none  less  than  20  feet,  at  a  cost 
of  about  $3,000,000. 

The  charge  for  barge  transport  from  Montreal  to  Kings- 
ton, 180  miles,  is  as  great  or  greater  than  for  1,000  miles 
of  J/ake  transport,  including  the  Welland  Canal.  This 
cluirge  must  come  down,  or  the  Upper  Lake  vessels  will 
go  down.  Some  of  those  vessels  will  undoubtedly  go  •; 
through,  and  all  would  do  so  if  sufficient  return  freight  is 
attracted  to  the  St.  Lawrence  by  its  enlarged  inland  route 
to  the  Lakes.  Tariffs  and  navigation  laws  may  delay  and 
hamper ;  but  when  possible  ocean  i-ates  meet  possible  in- 
land ones,  this  route  can  have  no  competitor  in  time  and 
cost,  and  long  before  any  other  is  provided  it  will  become 
indispensable  to  the  rapidly  congesting  traffic  upon  the 
Upper  Lakes. 

The  grain  trade  of  the  St.  Lawrence  route  has  until 
recently  been  stationary,  because  it  was  confined  to  that 
which  Montreal  capital  brought  there.  British  and  for- 
eign capital,  British  steamers  and  mail  subsidies,  have 
assisted  New  York's  enormous  advantages ;  while  Western 


i6 


AA' 


a- 


% 


!■ 


1^- 


railroads  and  Western  shipments  were  controlled  by  Ntw 
York  and  New  England,  the  chief  destination  of  all  not 
exported.  The  effect  of  the  Reciprocity  Treaty  while  it 
lasted  was  to  direct  Canadian  exports  for  Britain  v/a  New 
York,  and  away  from  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  grain  trade 
is  now  increasing,  and  a  greater  quantity  was  shipped  in 
1892  from  Chicago  and  Duluth  on  through  sales, — an  indi- 
cation that  the  St.  Lawrence  route  is  growing  in  favor 
with  Western  exporters. 

The  receipts  and  shipments  in  bushels  for  the  last  five 
years  were  : — 


.S92. 

1S91. 

1890. 

1SS9. 

iSSS. 

Receipts,      28.5oS.cx)7 

24,17^^289 

18,215,063 

18,722,865 

14,711,465 

Shipments,  24,355,965 

18,651,409 

13.550.974 

15,257,678 

10,207,802 

¥■ 


In  the  above,  flour  is  converted  into  bushels  of  wheat. 

Tiie  canals  of  Canada  were  undertaken  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  their  projectors  counted 
upon  something  proportionate  to  the  splendid  financial 
success  of  that  work.  They  were  begun  belbre  the  rail- 
way era,  and  enlarged  at  a  time  when  no  one  foresaw  the 
effect  of  railway  competition.  New  York  at  first  pro- 
tected the  Erie  Canal  against  that  competition  by  legisla- 
tion, and  it  was  not  until  185 1  that  the  Central  was  per- 
mitted to  carry  freight  without  paying  canal  tolls.  Until 
1844  railroads  paralleling  the  canals  of  the  State  were 
prohibited  from  carr3'ing  anything  but  passengers  and 
their  baggage.  In  that  year  certain  roads  were  permitted 
to  carry  freight  during  the  suspension  of  navigation,  and 
then  only  upon  the  payment  of  canal  tolls  to  the  State. 
But  it  was  the  great  invention  of  Bessemer  which,  bring- 
ing about  the  substitution  of  steel  for  iron  in  the  rails, 
enabled  the  railways  to  lower  their  rates  and  compelled  the 
State  of  New  York  to  come  to  the  relief  of  her  boatmen,  in 
1882,  and  entirely  remove  the  tolls. 

The  railways  have  revolutionized  the  conditions  under 
which  formtr  canal  enlargements  have  been  undertaken ; 
and  our  canals,  instead  of  becoming,  as  expected,  a  source 


17 


oy  Nt-'W 
f  all  not 

while  it 
via  New 
ain  trade 
lipped  in 
—an  indi- 

in   favor 

;  last  five 

iSSS. 

14,7 1 1. As 
10,207,802 

■  wheat. 
-  the  com- 
rs  counted 
d  financial 
-e  the  rail- 
oresaw  the 
first   pro- 
by  legisla- 
al  was  per- 
ils.    Until 
State  were 


jngers 


and 


e  permitted 
Igation,  and 
the  State, 
hich,  brin>i- 
n  the  rails. 
Impelled  the 
Iboatmen,  in 

itions  under 
Imdertaken ; 
led,  a  source 


of  revenue,  have  become  a  charge  upon  the  public  purse. 
Under  these  circumstances,  therefore,  it  is  clear  that  noth- 
ing more  can  be  expected  from  Canada  at  prestmt  than  the 
completion  of  her  unfinished  and  long-delayed  enlarge- 
ments. 

The  cost  of  the  Canadian  canal  system  between  tide 
water  and  Lake  Superior  by  the  St.  Lawrence  route  will 
aggregate  about  $60,000,000  —  a  sum  which,  however 
great,  is  less  than  Manchester  is  now  paying  for  a  ship 
canal  not  half  the  length,  and  with  but  a  fraction  of  the 
lockage  of  the  Canadian  system,  in  order  to  compete  with 
the  oldest  railway  in  the  world.  The  Erie  canal  has  cost 
upward  of  $50,000,000,  but  is  maintained  a  free  canal, 
and  a  railway  freight  regulator  at  an  annual  cost  to  the 
State  of  New  York  of  $720,000. 

It  may  cost  as  much  more,  as  Canada  has  already  ex- 
pended, to  carry  a  canal  of  the  size  needed  for  the  longest 
lake  steamer,  with  over  20  feet  water,  from  Lake  Erie  to 
]Montreal ;  but  whatever  the  sum  may  prove  to  be,  it  would 
not  be  more  than  20  per  cent  of  that  upon  any  purely 
United  States  route.  But  there  are  many  reasons  why 
such  a  work  will  not  be  undertaken,  unless  as  an  inter- 
national one,  such  as  led  to  the  improvement  of  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Danube  and  Rhine.  ■  '  ' 
■  Canada,  of  course,  will  not  consider  it  while  her  en- 
larged canals  are  incomplete  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
their  value  not  tested,  especially  as  against  the  barge  sys- 
tL'm  in  operation  there.  For  her  own  wants  her  new^  canals 
will  aflbrd  an  outlet  better  than  she  can  find  elsewhere. 
Iler  need  of  the  Welland  Canal  has  been  less  than  that  of 
the  United  States,  because  the  peninsula  of  Ontario,  the 
richest  portion  of  the  Dominion,  and  bounded  by  three  great 
lakes,  can  ship  from  the  lower  one,  below  the  Welland 
Canal.  But  her  recent  developments  in  her  prairie  provinces 
will  make  Lake  Superior  her  greatest  grain-shipping  cen- 
trr,  and  her  distant  prairies  will  then  need  the  most  rapic 
and  economical  route  to  the  sea. 


i8 


There  is,  moreover,  not  the  same  unanimity  in  Eastern 
Canada  as  exists  in  the  Western  States,  as  to  the  benefits 
to  be  derived  from  a  through  commerce  for  which  Mon- 
treal and  Quebec  would  be  way  stations.  Lastly,  there  is 
disagreement  as  to  the  economy  of  extending  the  voyage 
of  the  Lake  vessel  to  Europe,  and  of  its  practicability,  under 
all  circumstances,  with  a  fresh-water  crew. 

Whenever  the  14  feet  draft  is  obtained,  whatever  may  be 
the  outcome  of  the  barge  question,  there  will  be  Lake  ves- 
sels descending  to  Montreal,  and  vessels  coming  from  and 
going  to  sea  via  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Welland  Canals. 
Colliers  will  come  from  Nova  Scotia  into  Lake  Ontario,  if 
no  farther,  and  fruit  vessels  from  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  West  Indies  will  penetrate  to  Lakes  Michigan  and 
Superior,  and  will  not  fail  to  get  return  cargo.  The  St. 
Lawrence  affords  the  shortest  water  route  between  Europe 
and  the  Upper  Lakes. 

The  next  further  enlargement  which  may  be  undertaken 
by  Canada  with  respect  to  canals,  will  be  confined  to 
lengthening  the  locks,  which  is  practicable  at  reasonable 
cost.  When  this  is  done  nearly  every  Lake  craft  now 
afloat  could  pass  out  to  sea  with  14  feet  draft,  and  load 
down  to  20  feet  or  more  at  Montreal.  There  are  over 
2,500  steamers  in  Lloyd's  Register  of  less  width,  but  of 
greater  length,  than  the  Canadian  lock  chambers.  The 
modern  proportions  of  length  to  beam  are  8,  9,  and  10  to  i. 
The  Canadian  Commission  adopted  the  proportions  of 
Noah's  Ark,  and  made  the  lock  chambers  6  to  i.  At 
present  the  tendency  is  toward  an  increase  of  beam  in  pro- 
portion to  length,  and  tliere  may  be  a  return  to  these 
scriptural  proportions  in  future  naval  architecture  ;  but  this 
will  not  increase  the  capacity  of  those  locks,  though  it  may 
prove  that  the}'  are  not  too  short  for  their  width  or  too  wide 
for  their  length. 

Imperfect  as  they  are,  they  have  brought  the  caravels  of 
Columbus  to  Chicago. 

Ottawa,  Canada,  Julj,  1S93. 


be  undertaken 
»e  confined   to 

at  reasonable 
ake  craft  now 
.raft,  and  load 
;'here  are  over 

width,  but  of 
lambers.     The 

9,  and  10  to  1. 

proportions  oi 
rs  6  to  I.  At 
of  beam  in  pro- 
return  to  these 
ecture  ;  but  this 
;,  though  it  may 
idth  or  too  wide 

.t  the  caravels  ot 


I 


Profiles  of  the  St.  Lawrence  a>: 

i 
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PROFILE 


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Profiles  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  of  the  Erie  Canal  Routes  m 


P  R  O  F  I  L  e 


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Comparative  StATCMtNT; 

MILKS 

CANAL 

NAV. 

MILKS 
LANK 
NAV 

Milks 
nivKR 

MAV. 

N<  or 

LOCKS. 

LOCKAU 

TOTAL 

tHITANU 

MILKS 

OIMINIIOHI 

or 

LOCKS 

DtrTH 

Or 

WATCR 

Capacity 
roNt 

A«A»  £rle  tv  JUMiny  j 
via  Erie  Catud  Ntw. 

352 

f 

•• 

7/ 

6'.;/ 

ar>.i 

m 

/,<• 

7 

2i;o 

Lake  Erie  to  Monireal  \ 
via  S^  Lawrence  Iftw:   1 

73 

203 

86 

47 

533 

361^ 

m 

•/J 

/5 

/eoo 

I 

Port  Colborne.  bring  ZO  fn^s  west  of  BuffcUo  the   eUstarwes  lYom  ufft«r  Lake 

Ports  to   Ude  water  by  the  Vo  routes  cur  about  equal:  but  as  Ocean  f/axigation. 

is  reached,  at'  Montreal  wha^  at  Alhatty  it  it  iSO  Miles  diatant  there  is 

pra£ticaUf  that  differenceki  feufor  of  the  Caruiditut-  route 

Jlie  diinefufions   ofsf-  Lawtv/ice.    rttiyi-gatiorv    etre^  those 
of  the  ervUirtfed.     k^uUs    naw  iti'  counts  of  constructoon^ . 


IV  A    T 

CAJfAI. 

im'M. 


LAKE 


M  O  N\  R  E  A 
ST   FRvcrs 


40 


XiViM. 
seT 


CAJfAI. 
30 


